Ex-candidate faces more trouble [Durham humour]
A former Durham mayoral hopeful is sought by police again
Matt Dees, Staff Writer, N&O, Dec 21, 2006
DURHAM - Vincent Cortez Brown, who left the 2005 mayoral race amid revelations that he tried to cover his past as a convicted felon, is wanted by police again.
Durham police started looking for Brown on Sept. 28, when a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges he defrauded a man of nearly $30,000. They have yet to find him and issued a news release Wednesday seeking the public's help.
Brown, 46, who claimed in his campaign to be a lay Baptist minister and a former Navy SEAL, allegedly was paid for architectural work he never performed.
He signed a $29,800 contract to survey a lot, demolish a building and clear the site at 2911 Guess Road, police said.
Brown never did, police said.
He faces one count of obtaining property by false pretense.
Anyone with information on Brown's whereabouts is asked to call Investigator A.H. Holland at 560-4440, ext. 254, or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200.
He dropped out of the mayor's race after The News & Observer disclosed his extensive criminal history and his use of multiple birth dates and Social Security numbers.
The N&O confirmed that Brown had been charged with more than 100 crimes over a 15-year span, pleading guilty on 46 counts in courtrooms across North Carolina. Records indicated that Brown had been found guilty of felony forgery in Pender County, getting him time in state prison. Brown also had four felony convictions for larceny in Virginia.
Brown also was arrested in early May and charged with assault and battery and communicating threats.
He was acquitted of those charges in July, court records show.
But he was convicted of communicating threats that same month, following a charge by Phillip Barnett Jr. on May 18, court records show. Brown appealed that verdict, and the case remains unresolved, records show.
http://www.newsobserver.com/145/story/523777.html
* Gotta just love this town.
Murder suspect faces new charges
From Staff Reports, N&O, Dec 21, 2006
DURHAM - Michael Wayne Goldston, who is awaiting trial on a murder charge and has a lengthy rap sheet, was arrested again Wednesday.
Goldston, 25, was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. His new bail was set at $25,000.
He is expected to go on trial next year for his role in the 2004 shooting death of Nathan Alston.
Roy Oswald Bodden, 21, Goldston's alleged accomplice, was recently convicted of second-degree murder in the crime.
Since he was charged in Alston's death, Goldston has been arrested numerous times on charges including assault, armed robbery, probation violations and crack sales.
http://www.newsobserver.com/145/story/523775.html
* Another one. Mighty friendly courthouse. The DA aims to please.